Stupid questions about weaning

[Booboostoo]

DD is 5.5 months so thinking about introducing some solids at 6 months. I am hoping to keep her primarily on breast milk for a while yet and introduce solids just for fun, but I have some (really stupid, sorry!) questions:

• can you mix BLW and purees or should you stick to one method or the other?

• in BLW how can babies eat the family food when it was cooked with extra salt?

• when you boil the baby's water can you preserve it in a glass bottle or do you need to boil fresh before every meal?

• how do you give water? Should I go straight for a two handed plastic glass, or use one of those beakers (with a hard or soft 'mouth'?)?

...I did say they were a bit stupid, but bear with me, this is my first time!

You can mix BLW and purees
Babies shouldn't eat much salt - but why not jusst cut it out of family's food?
Why are you going to boil water for baby? They can drink it straight from the tap?
I used a soft spouted beaker

right you can mix the two methods, dd had fingers foods and mush out of a jar

i just say no to the salt, as a one off should be fine but everyday, no

if you mean boiled water for drinking water, tap is fine after 6 months

i'm using a 2 handled free flow beaker for dd, its better for their jaw (or something like that)

anything else?

You can give whatever food you like, you don't have to use a "method" at all.

I had one who used to drive himself mad as his coordination was just a bit rubbish so he would get very frustrated at pure BLW. I used to pop some on his tray for him and stand by with some of the same mushed with a fork to hand him spoonfuls if he was getting annoyed. Child number 2 never had any mush because she was happy with BLW.

Don't add salt. Just don't. Experiment with lots of herbs. If making a big soup or stew or something then perhaps halve a stock cube or use low salt ones. Consider making your own chicken stock. Instead of buying breasts etc we buy a whole chicken, chop and freeze the parts at home and make stock to freeze.

I may be a bad mum but I didn't boil water.

Give whatever cup you like. No right answer. The flip lid ones are good as you can shove them in your bag without leaks. Don't worry about how much they have, it isn't important. Just pop a cup on the table with meals so they can have a sip and rinse their mouth out if they want to.

DS is nearly eight months and we mix spoon feeding with BLW.

Tap water is fine after six months.

We use a soft spouted beaker but that's a personal preference really.

Even though I purée, I tend to blend/mash whatever we're having. I use the Cook at Home very low salt stock cubes (I think they're Heinz) and just don't add salt while cooking. If it's something that I can't make delicious for me without 'proper' stock (eg spag bol), I separate off some of the sauce into a separate pan for him then add the stock to the grown ups' pan. I also tend to make a little extra of the baby stuff and freeze it in a pot so if DP and I fancy a takeaway or something else he can't have I just give him a pot from the freezer.

You can do mixed feeding, but it's worth reading the Gill Rapley book on BLW. I used to think that BLW was just a wanky name for how we were weaned, but it's really not and the why's of BLW are definitely interesting and it's well worth a read even if you decide not to BLW or to mix feed.

You need to cut out or drastically cut down on the salt you use if the baby is going to eat it too. I only put a little salt in potatoes and none in anything else. It's better for everyone really. If you don't want to, you'd be better off cooking the baby's food separately.

You can keep the boiled water in any clean, sealed container or of course in the kettle :) I don't think it's necessary to use boiled water, but if it makes you feel better you can start with boiled water and as she gets bigger and starts shoving all manner of stuff in her mouth you'll get to a stage where you wont see the point in boiling the water

Any cup/beaker with a lid is fine :) I like the TT hard ones but the soft ones are quite popular too. They can use open cups with a bit of practise as well, but I like the TT ones because I like to have one where they can get to it when they want it and not tip it all over the place.

Ah thank you all!

I don't know where I got the boiled water from, must have gotten confused somehow! She is currently EBF so I have had it easy!

We use a lot of salt when we cook (naughty I know!) so perhaps I will try salt-less alternatives for the baby. I don't think I could live without salt myself!!

No, I don't think you have got it confused. I would say that most people boil the water for the baby at first I think if you use formula you get used to using boiled water and it just seems wrong not to... but then you look at all the other crap they put in their mouths and think.......hmmm why am I bothering

LOL @ the salt. My Ex DP's Mum used to say 'oh put in a little salt' then upend the container into whatever it was... I was like this >> the first time. Literally tablespoons of salt in the veg How are your arteries??

The ONLY way to cook veg is with tonnes of tomatoes, garlic, onions and swimming in olive oil! ...arteries are just about holding up!